HS Helsinki Why do the same initials repeat in the names of Helsinki’s districts? HS made a finding that surprised the city’s nomenclature committee

When looks at the map of Helsinki, one letter may appear in the eyes of a Finnish language enthusiast, professional or otherwise only interested in the language: K.

There are many districts in the center of Helsinki and in southern Helsinki that start with the letter K: Kamppi, Kluuvi, Kruununhaka, Kaivopuisto and Kaartinkaupunki.

There is no need to move your eyes on the map very far to the east, when you already meet Katajanokka and Kulosaari, or to the north, where Kallio is located.

The next concentration of the three initials K further north of Kallio is located in the wedge between Tuusulanväylä, Kustaa Vaasa Road and Lahdenväylä around Koskelantie: Käpylä, Kumpula and Koskela.

The nomenclature of the districts beginning with the letter K rose to discussion even at the Helsinki Nomenclature Committee during Easter, when HS had inquired about the matter semi-seriously from experts.

Why so many names of Helsinki districts start with the letter K?

“We didn’t come up with any very‘ shocking ’theory. They found the question quite interesting and a bit surprising, ”the nomenclature designer Johanna Lehtonen Helsinki’s urban environment industry reports by e-mail.

“When you look at the names of those districts, the Swedish language in quite a few backgrounds is originally K-initialed or G-initialed,” Lehtonen points out.

Examples are Kampen or Gloet.

“Most of the names of the districts are old, mostly Swedish-speaking village names, for which a Finnish equivalent was later created. The village system is no longer in use, but these ancient names live in the names of the districts and in the nomenclature otherwise, ”says Lehtonen.

K is by the way, the most common initials in Finnish words.

For example, the Language Office’s dictionary, which describes the modern language, contains a search word beginning with about 15,500 K. There are about 10,850 starting with P.

The language office’s dictionary contains a total of about 104,000 search words, says specialist and nomenclature Petra Saarnisto From the Finnish Language Research Center (Kotus) by e-mail.

“K is also the most common initial in other place names. You can see it, for example, from the material in the Name Archive of the Center for Finnish Languages. Place names starting with K fill 216 archive boxes. The second most are starting with P: 136 archive boxes. 56 of the names of Finnish municipalities also begin with K; it is about 18 percent of all municipal names. ”

Helsinki The list of districts includes 14 districts beginning with the letter K, which, in addition to those previously mentioned, include Kaarela and Karhusaari. If the twin name Mustikkamaa-Korkeasaari is included, there are 15. There are 59 districts in total, and exactly 60, including the open sea.

The initial P, mentioned by the archives and appearing as the second in Finnish place names, remains in the middle caste in the districts with five mentions. The districts starting with T and V come second with six mentions.

One a recurring phenomenon is that the residential area is perceived as a district of Helsinki, even though it is officially part of a larger district. The initial K is also present in the sub-areas of the districts:

Kivinokka (Kulosaari), Kruunuvuorenranta (Laajasalo), Central Pasila (Pasila), Kivihaka (Haaga), Kivikko, Kontula, Kurkimäki (Mellunkylä), Kallahti, Keski-Vuosaari (Vuosaari), Kalasatama (Sörnäinen), Kyläsaari (Hermanni), Koivusaari, Kaskisaari, Kotkavuori (Lauttasaari), and Kuusisaari (Munkkiniemi).

Lehtonen’s attention to the etymological origin of the Helsinki K-regions is interesting.

“It’s quite natural that the vocabulary in the nomenclature is: rapids, cone, mound, rock, bullet, bear, stone, birch, birch, spruce, fish, cucumber.”